Social Media: LiveBar, Post-Porn, MySpace v Google, Pleasedressme

LiveBar is a translucent black bar that rests on the bottom of a web page. When a user clicks on it, a translucent overlay rises over the page and displays real-time discussions, comments and other social applications.

Social networking sites are the hottest attraction on the Internet, dethroning pornography and highlighting a major change in how people communicate, according to a web guru. Bill Tancer, a self-described “data geek,” has analyzed information for over 10 million web users to conclude that we are, in fact, what we click, with Internet searches giving an up-to-date view of how society and people are changing.

Just a few years ago, a Web site offering virtually every notable song ever recorded for free listening would have had music business executives speed-dialing their lawyers. In the next two weeks, a battered music industry, facing slumping CD sales and a bleak future, will help to introduce just such a service, called MySpace Music. The new site is the product of a joint venture among MySpace, the social network owned by the News Corporation, and the major music companies — the Warner Music Group; Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony and Bertelsmann; and the Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of Vivendi. The venture plans to make money from selling advertising on the site and from selling digital downloads of music through a partnership with Amazon.com.

Sometimes you don’t need the full-on Google strength search power. Maybe you need to look for something very specific, like your next witty t-shirt. Please Dress Me takes the pain out of trawling through countless websites to find just the right ironic tee. But seriously, this is a great idea. Just enter the search terms ( eco, girraffe, The Big Lebowski – whatever) and presto, the computer will link you to shirts relevant to your interests.